This is one of those short but potent experiences. What is a fully realized visual style and world makes you truly just enjoy the ismentric vistas that Super Giant designed. It also provided friction in terms of story telling. I loved hearing the narrator speak and provide context to the world, it never stopped making the small breaks in the world not be delightful. Whenever i would stop to interact in the environment and nothing happened but a quip from the narrator I was pleased. However telling the story that way felt less enthralling when I would read text in the computer screen/hear voices. I would no longer be immersed in the world , and I would see it as a hinderance .
The gameplay is rather neat. Combining real time and pause turn into a splendid hybrid. You get 4 different powers, which you can activate in real time or by pause turn. I found using pause turn was the most useful, there is satisfaction in planning attacks. The fact it monitors movement and that when you lose a life you lose an action, and they you collect more than 4 total, it means that you can’t get too attacked to certain moves. It means your strategy and plans evolve based on the new tools you get via levels, and how much health you lost and if your old actions regenerated yet to re-equip. Its a system that really expanded late game that felt restrictive at the beginning. The enemy types really prod you to try different actions and movement approaches to survive. Its a thoroughly engaging game, the only thing is that an action tied to this is the only evade technique. Running away is so fundamental and the dodge button being losable bothered me. There might have been a better in between for dodging being equipable and running being slow. It really turned out to be a real clear question in the final boss. I enjoyed the fight but def felt like things were happening than me controlling the reality perfectly. However my customization really is what won me that fight, and the fact you can subequip actions to each other to modify? Its a deep system. Honestly because I didn’t really care for the story not involving Red and the narrator and that the gameplay only really felt like it opened at the end, I wasn’t sure if I really was as high on the experience. However that last 45 minutes, including the way the narrative ends ? It is among the most satisfying conclusions to a story, and feeds into my belief short stories can be stronger than long ones.
The gameplay is rather neat. Combining real time and pause turn into a splendid hybrid. You get 4 different powers, which you can activate in real time or by pause turn. I found using pause turn was the most useful, there is satisfaction in planning attacks. The fact it monitors movement and that when you lose a life you lose an action, and they you collect more than 4 total, it means that you can’t get too attacked to certain moves. It means your strategy and plans evolve based on the new tools you get via levels, and how much health you lost and if your old actions regenerated yet to re-equip. Its a system that really expanded late game that felt restrictive at the beginning. The enemy types really prod you to try different actions and movement approaches to survive. Its a thoroughly engaging game, the only thing is that an action tied to this is the only evade technique. Running away is so fundamental and the dodge button being losable bothered me. There might have been a better in between for dodging being equipable and running being slow. It really turned out to be a real clear question in the final boss. I enjoyed the fight but def felt like things were happening than me controlling the reality perfectly. However my customization really is what won me that fight, and the fact you can subequip actions to each other to modify? Its a deep system. Honestly because I didn’t really care for the story not involving Red and the narrator and that the gameplay only really felt like it opened at the end, I wasn’t sure if I really was as high on the experience. However that last 45 minutes, including the way the narrative ends ? It is among the most satisfying conclusions to a story, and feeds into my belief short stories can be stronger than long ones.